Life as We Know It

During the summer, I pretty much have no life. My daily schedule has become: wake up, read, get dressed, call Ally, walk through the park, go home, shower, and go to bed.

I was almost afraid that without school it would be the end of my adventures with Ally, but if anything, we've gotten even closer. I practically live at her house. And we both practically live on the teeter-totter in her backyard. We're just cool like that.

We've had photoshoots, sleepovers, movie nights, and many other exciting events. My entire social life right now is with Ally. 

My mom and I have gotten closer too, with me being home more and all. I'm happy for that. I love my family. I love summer. I love the sun. I hate my third sunburn. I love the green grass. I love swimming. I love sleeping in. I miss this:

I miss it a lot. And I want it back. Sooo if I lose twenty pounds and get it back, I'll let you know.

This post keeps switching subjects.

I'm leaving now.

Grateful

I swear nightmares never go away. Ever since I recently had this super creepy dream, being left alone in the evenings had put me on edge. Getting out of the shower one night, I zipped down the stairs and stood in my room, shivering in a towel and hoping I don't get randomly murdered while in my room alone.

I hate this feeling, I thought to myself. I was truely afraid of something that didn't even exist. It was just a silly dream that disappeared when I woke up the next morning. I quickly got dressed and headed upstairs to brush my wet hair. As the brush ran through the tangles, I had an idea.

I glanced away from the mirror to see my purple iPod laying on the counter. I'm grateful for music, I began, and ways for people to express themselves that are enjoyed by others. I looked back in the mirror. I'm grateful for clothes. To keep me warm, comfortable, modest, and confident.
I step out of the bathroom to see my family all huddled on the couch watching a movie. I'm grateful for my family, and the love and peace we share on nights like this.

I skipped down the stairs back into my room. I'm grateful for this bedroom. The room I always wanted. And for my bed that I can curl into every night and feel right at home. For the quiet time every night I have to just think.
I began to speak aloud. "I'm grateful for the sun that rises every morning, decorating the sky and providing warmth."

I pranced around the room, declaring my thankfulness for nearly every item in the room. I was grateful for slippers, books, the scriptures, blankets, and many other various objects that sat around my bedroom.

When I finally crawled into bed, I felt better than ever and fell fast asleep. It really was a blessing for me. I'm grateful for that, too.

Sunburns and Freckles... Yep, it's summer.

I think every winter I forget what summer's like. I mean, I forget what it does to my skin. Last week I went swimming at the Lindon pool with my aunt, brother, and sister for about 3 hours. Apparently one is supposed to re-apply sunscreen, which I didn't. And naturally, I had a pretty nasty sunburn. But the first thing I noticed when I got in the car to go home was my freckles. I swear they got seven shades darker, and looked especially dark in the sun. I freaked out practically the whole ride home, which my aunt wasn't too delighted about.

The next day was the Orem Summerfest. Ally and I went to the carnival, and of course, I was soon sunburned. And let me tell you, it doesn't get any worse than a sunburned sunburn. Now it's painful to wear clothing. And do my hair. And hug people. So pretty much, it's painful to live.
The sun and I are not on good terms right now. For a few minutes yesterday I was convinced I was never going outside again. Well, I've been outside. And my sunburns don't hurt as much as they did Saturday evening.

Other than that, life is pretty good as of the present moment. It's summer. There's no homework. There's family. There's friends. It's nice to have a break from school, and honestly it seems to be going by WAY too fast. Last year I couldn't wait for school, this year I could certainly go on waiting. I don't want summer to end.

And I'm trying really hard not to take this time for granted. I mean, it's a beautiful day outside, and rather than complain about my sunburns I might as well enjoy the fact that I like this weather a lot more than the winter cold.

Sun, keep on shining! Just keep away from my skin for a while, okay? :)

I'm reading a book.

I started reading before Kindergarten. And even when I could barely even speak I followed my family around the house saying, "Book!" while pulling the puppy eyes.

In first grade I was at a fourth or fifth grade reading level and continued to grow. At the end of sixth grade I had the highest reading level in my class and had highest WPM when reading aloud. I always loved to read. I dug through book after book, series after series, and was often found at the library. Last summer I read nine different novels, about a book a week (excluding camps and the week before school) .

Then came eigth grade Accelerated English class.

It seemed like we were always assigned books. Boring ones. Really boring ones. Now, I'll say I'm a good reader, but when it comes  to something boring, it gets awfully hard to finish. Most of the books I never ended up reading the end of the book and read just enough to have the information needed to gets A's the tests.
But because it took me so horribly long to read each one, I didn't spend a single second of leisure reading for seven to eight months. And for a while, it seemed like I had completely lost my love for books.

Near the end of eigth grade, one of my friends sent me home with a stack of ten books she wanted me to read. I sat down with the first, Austenland by Shannon Hale, and it felt right to be holding a good book again. Crumpled up on the couch, I plowed through it. I then started a series of 3 dystopian books; Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. With Uglies I discovered that I can hardly ever sit at the kitchen table without a book. Every morning at breakfast I ate while reading, and read long after I was done eating. I brought a book to school with me every day from then on, right until the end. I finished the Uglies series with the start of summer and the next day I read Justin Bieber: First Step 2 Forever in a matter of hours. On to The Hunger Games!

I guess I've found my love for reading again. And the truth is, I'm glad to have it back. :)

"This one's for you and me..."

I like this picture because it shows a lot of what Ally and I do together. We make each other happy. We laugh a lot. Together we're clumsy, dorky, goofy, and overall the perfect pair.

Yep. We're best friends.

I like to say Best Friends Forever, but sometimes I'm not sure. What comes before forever? Does going to different schools come before then? Is there always a possibility of replacement? I'm afraid.

Last week I sat in Ally's car staring at my least favorite building. We were giving someone a ride home from Maeser, but just seeing the school put me in a foul mood.
It had tall, white pillars that loomed over us as if to express superiority. All it is is a cocky school for spoiled rich kids, I spat in my head. Charter schools had never seemed so evil until Ally told me she was going to one.

That was why the end of eigth grade stung so badly. I knew Ally and I would never spend lunch roaming the halls of Canyon View together ever again.
No one wanted to say goodbye, but I have to say no one is going to miss her as much as I will. Ally has always been there for me. She listens to my ramblings when I've had a bad day, she's willing to spend time with me whenever I feel lonely, and she trusts me with everything. I know everything about her and she knows everything about me. We look nothing alike, but we call ourselves sisters. We're always there for each other, no matter what.

She's been in my ward for 11 years, but we weren't friends until we went to the same school in 7th grade. I don't remember what our first conversation was about, or how we even began to interact. When I look back, it seems like it all just came naturally.

I guess that's why this scares me. We weren't friends until school, and without school, what will become of us? We have all summer together, but it doesn't seem like enough. She'll go to Maeser and find a new best friend with straight teeth and a freckle-free face, and I'll be left wondering what happened. Friendships like ours don't just end. Do they?

Ally recently discovered a song called Lighters by Eminem featuring Bruno Mars (I HATE Eminem but I absolutely adore Bruno Mars). It says, "This one’s for you and me, living out our dreams. We’re all right where we should be." This song will always remind me of now. This time, this place, and the time Ally and I spend together, possibly the last turn of the rollar coaster.

But even if it's time to get in the car and go back home, I'll never forget this. Ever. It's been the ride of my life.

"You and I know what it’s like to be kicked down,
Forced to fight,
But tonight we’re alright.
So hold up your light,
Let it shine.
Cause this one’s for you and me,

living out our dreams,
We’re all right where we should be.
Lift my arms out wide,

I open my eyes,
And now all I wanna see,
Is a sky full of lighters..."

The Best Day of My Life

0 days, I thought as I slithered out of bed. I had been counting down for this day for months. It was finally here.

The early hours of the day went slowly, but soon evening came and I piled into a car with my best friend.

We were excited. We were caught in traffic but we squeaked in the back seat about the fact he was only a block away from us at that very moment. That's right, we were about to see him:

Bruno Mars.

(AKA Our celebrity crush/true love)

When we were finally dropped off at the building, we found the longest line I've ever seen. It wrapped away from the building, around the grounds, and around the parking lot. This was the view from our spot in line. The building looked so far away.

We talked and admired our beautiful tickets.

It took about an hour to get in the building and take our seats. The concert was supposed to start at 6:00, but the music started around 7:00 and it wasn't even Bruno Mars. It was a guy named Mayer Hawthorne who was the opening act before the concert started.

When the concert actually began, it was some chick with her hair pulled into a puff ball on top of her head.

Janell Monae was her name. Her background singers and dancers had on the silliest costumes and the whole thing was super weird. I guess she had talent, but she over-sang every freakin' note and it really got old. Every song ended with like five minutes of "OooOOOHHhHHHhhHHhhhhhhHHHHHHhhhhHHhHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" or  "AhhhhHHhhHHHhhhHHHhHhHhhhhhhhHHhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!" or "EEeeeeEEeeEEEeeEEEEEeeEEEeeeEEEEeEeEEEEE!!!!!!!" and after the band played the last note, she would go, "Again!" like 6 times.
"If they play that last note one more time I'm gonna rip my hair out," Ally and I said to each other.
Janell Monae's part ended after what seemed like forever, and it took a while for them to reset the stage. But when Bruno Mars was starting, everyone knew it because we all started screaming our lungs out.

He was AMAZING!!! Bruno Mars is just... amazing. He writes the best songs and he sings wonderfully and he's super good looking and he's just so cute! Ahhhh! Usually singers aren't very good live but I swear he was even better! His stage presence was fantastic and he was always keeping the audience involved (singing and/or screaming). He really is meant to perform. His songs always make me feel better. We waited 3 hours from the time we got there until Bruno Mars was actually singing to us, but it was totally worth it. It. Was. Phenomenal. A bunch of my pictures were deleted my accident... but the lighting was super cool and changed for every song.

I know I will always remember May 30, 2011. I love Bruno Mars so much.

Yearbook Day

School started almost normally. My friends and I strolled the halls and talked before the bell rang.
"The yearbooks are gonna have scratch and sniff pickles," a boy told me.
"WHAT?!??!" I shreaked in horror, "I HATE the smell of pickles! The devil smells like pickles! I'm going to put tape over every freakin' pickle in the yearbook so I don't have so smell them!"
I soon found out in A1 our yearbooks, in fact, had nothing to do with pickles and my friend told me 'gullible' was written on the ceiling. I didn't look up. :P

The quest for signatures began. Except "signature" isn't the right word. Half of the people I know wrote me children's book-sized notes.

Yearbook day, though, has always given me mixed feelings. All of the ninth graders were leaving to Orem High, two of my friends were moving, and I knew it was the last day of school I'd probably ever have with Ally. That was the sad part. But at the time time you could feel love all around you. My yearbook was comepletely FILLED with mush and gush and so many wonderful compliments. Even though we knew we wouldn't see each other for a long time, we were all smiling.

In the seventh of the eight periods we had that day, I stood talking to friends, signing yearbooks and goofing off. Near the end of class, one of my good guyfriends turned to me. "Are you coming to school Thursday and Friday?" he asked.
"Nope," I replied, excited for my first days of summer.
"Then I guess I won't see you again," his arms wrapped around me in a big hug. He then turned and walked quickly away. I thought about reminding him we had all ninth grade ahead of us, but I figured it'd be awkward to chase him down after that dramatic departure.
So I stood mostly in shock. Our entire friendship pretty much started with his eyes. He has the prettiest eyes in the entire universe, but there was just one problem. He never looked me in the eyes when he was talking to me. I was determined to break the habit, and one day I challenged him to a staring contest. We sat on opposite sides of the lunch table, staring for a long time. I was probably the first one to blink, but ever since then he's looked me right in the eyes and I've looked right back.
We had silly conversations, hung out in class, and we eventually got him to sit with us at our lunch table. Several people told me he's been happier since he's known me, and that they can definately tell he likes me. I never believed them and thought he thought I was just some crazy chick from school. After yearbook day, I'm not quite sure.